Whispers In The Dark
by Alic3Paig3
Summary: Pariah Dark x Danny Fenton. Incomplete. Pariah Dark has awoken from his slumber once again but this time he's demanding that Danny Phantom help him to regain the loyalty of his subjects.
1. Chapter 1

Deep within the Ghost Zone was a place not many ventured into. The fear from the old king's reign was enough to keep the older ghosts away but some of the younger ghosts were still foolish enough to try to get a peek at the old realm. The foolish were easily scared off by the things that protected the castle that housed the sleeping king. And for many years it lay dormant until a foolish half breed opened the sarcophagus. The ghosts rallied behind another half breed, the younger of the only two in existence, and managed to save both their worlds from the tyrant.

Several years passed since the king was resealed; in the halfas nineteenth year, the King, Pariah Dark, had amassed enough power to begin weakening the seals of his containment. Over months the weakened seals allowed information to slip into the king's consciousness. He knew of the ghost's respect for the one named Danny Phantom. Even the vast amount of power the ghost had reached him. He even knew how the ghosts went to and from the human realm with little resistance. It seemed what he had failed to notice when he last awoke was how different the world was from all those years ago.

Since no one ever ventured so far into the old realm the cracks that had begun to cover the surface of the sarcophagus went unnoticed by all except one. Clockwork sighed at the vision of the old castle. He could reseal the sarcophagus and prevent the future, but he was willing to take a chance. Just as young Daniel had learned a lesson from his future. Pariah could learn a lesson from his past. With that in mind, Clockwork left even as more cracks surfaced. It would be a trying time but it was worth it to see a time of true peace.

It was near Danny's twentieth birthday that every ghost and half ghost felt the overwhelming wave of power that signaled the return of the Ghost King. For Danny, it couldn't have come at a worse time. He was in the middle of a lecture at his school. Without even giving an excuse, he dashed from the lecture and transformed. He headed for his apartment; it was shortly after his eighteenth birthday that he moved away from FentonWorks. It was taxing on him to stay where he felt like at any moment his own parents could turn on him. His secret was still hidden from everyone except those who had discovered it in the first few years of getting his powers.

When he arrived home his living room was already packed with ghosts. (Ha-ha it's not much of a living room then xD)

Skulker, self-proclaimed ghost zones greatest hunter, spoke first, "Phantom! You felt the surge of power, did you not? Pariah Dark has returned!" All hell broke loose with many ghosts panicking and pleading with Danny to help them, to save them from the beast that was a monster even among ghosts.

"Stop! First you all need to calm down, then we can make a battle plan. We know how he attacks we will protect the zone as we can. For now, go hide in the human world but don't cause trouble! I'll make sure everyone is safe." Danny wasn't fond of leaving the ghosts to their own devices but he needed more intel. He'd grown to rely on strategy as well as brute strength. An impromptu trip to Pariah's Keep was in order.

As the ghosts scattered Danny pulled out his cell phone and sent Sam a quick message warning them not to follow him and when he would be back. The goth was in class and wouldn't check the message until he was well into the ghost zone saving him from putting his friends in danger.

Again, Fenton became Phantom, and took off towards his childhood home. Tucker had made many modifications over the years to all the Fenton tech that made all the tech ignore Danny's ectosignature. So, when he phased in, past his parents no less, they didn't even notice that the ghost they wanted to capture most was in their home.

Once in the Ghost Zone, Danny felt equal parts paranoid and calm. There was no telling how angry Pariah Dark would be, but the zone was also a place of peace for the young halfa. He didn't need to pretend. Every ghost knew of his human half, and in recent years they had come to respect him enough to only interfere in his human life minimally. They still fought him but now it was more for practice or sport than because of malice.

It was many years ago, but Danny still remembered Pariah's Keep perfectly. It wasn't every day that a teen took on a king and won. Danny gave a small chuckle at his memories, "two fourteen-year-old pawns to turn a knight and topple a king" Vlad had told him that day. What a farce, as much as Vlad tried to make the whole thing seem as though it was planned, Vlad was only able to accomplish his goals because of Danny's quick thinking. He was so lost in his thoughts Danny hadn't even realized that he had phased into Pariah's throne room, where the old king sat.

"So, have you come to return me to the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep? If I remember correctly you needed the aid of a machine to best me last time we fought."

Danny jumped, and whirled to face the king tensing all his muscles in preparation for the first blow. What he saw thought made him relax, Pariah had indeed returned but the air of malice he had previously commanded was nowhere to be seen. Instead he saw a calm if not intimidating man sitting upon the throne.

"You're not going to attack me?" Danny may have grown up and gotten smarter but he would still always ask terribly obvious questions when shocked.

Pariah sighed, how had this small boy locked him away last time, "If I wanted you destroyed you would have never stepped foot in my throne room."

Dany flinched but nodded in response, "So what now? No offense but you don't exactly make the ghosts feel safe and I promised that I would protect them." Danny stopped floating and touched down softly on the floor.

"You would protect a world in which you do not fully belong, and make promises to those who are not fully loyal to you?"

"Well yeah, I mean they came to me for help, and this is my home too even if I don't live here full time."

Pariah contemplated this, "then we shall duel. I must know of your strength before I give my throne to someone who is unworthy."

Danny blanched, "Wait wait wait! I don't want your throne! I just want to know the ghosts and humans are safe, I didn't come here to take your throne from you!" Full panic had set in, Danny wasn't even sure he could take the old ghost in a fight. His powers had been honed and strengthened but that didn't mean he was invincible, he was nowhere as powerful as he was when he used the ectoskeleton to boost his powers.

"You will duel me if you wish to uphold your promise to keep those who sought your protection."

Danny nodded, he would do whatever it took to win and keep the ones depending on him safe. Pariah stood and gestured to follow him. He led them to a large arena where they both stood on opposing sides.

"The first one to fall will loose. I will not hold back." Even without the Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire Pariah was a powerful ghost whose power was not to be underestimated.

The first shot was thrown by Danny himself, his power would quickly diminish the longer the battle went on, so to gain an upper hand he would attempt to end the battle quickly. Pariah like Danny was skilled with making shields and blocked the blows with little effort.

No words were exchanged as the battle progressed, with blows meeting halfway and neither gaining any ground. It wasn't until Danny attempted to use his ice powers that things finally began tipping in his favor, Pariah was susceptible to his ice powers harsh blows. Slowly Danny gained the upper hand, Pariah would miss blocking a shot or stumble back from a kick, something that had Danny growing cocky.

Eventually Pariah grew tired of just slugging it out, with a powerful blast he knocked Danny away and mounted a full assault that left more than a few marks on Danny. They both bore injuries that were beginning to slow them down. Again, they were matched in power. Finally, Danny had enough, he needed to end it quickly, he drew in a deep breath and began to wail. His ghostly wail was still his most powerful attack by itself. For minutes, he continued until he felt his power drain so much that anymore would be a hazard.

Pariah was stunned at the sheer force of the wail but didn't fall to its power. He was dazed and could already feel his healing ability working to fix what damage that been caused. He shook it off and strode forward to the halfa who was so drained that he was having trouble standing.

"You lose Phantom, admit your defeat." The stubborn half breed responded with an attempt at punching but with no energy behind the strike he knew that he'd lost. Pariah, in frustration, backhanded the young ghost sending him flying into the wall and knocking him unconscious.

With a grumble Pariah left the arena and called upon some of the staff that had returned when he awoke, "Tend to the half breeds wounds. Notify me when he wakes." With that the Ghost King retreated to his own quarters. When the young Phantom woke they would have much to discuss.


	2. Chapter 2

When Danny came to, he was lying in a plush bed that felt too comfortable to be real. A slightly warm rag sat on his forehead, and the room around him was quiet. Danny thought back to the fight with Pariah, transformed and jumped up ready for another attack. Scanning the room Danny found himself alone. It wasn't until the door opened to reveal a skeleton, much like the ones he'd fought when he was fourteen, that gestured for him to follow that he relaxed.

Pariah had already made it clear that if he wanted him dead, he would not have a moment to fight back before he was destroyed. Danny followed behind the skeleton through several hallways until they came upon a door. With a small knock, the door was opened, and he was ushered inside.

"How do you feel? My servants are not adept in human medical practices, so we were only able to help your ghost half." Pariah gestured to a large chair that was across from him.

Phantom took a seat and tried to maintain eye contact, "I'll be fine. I've had worse." Danny was anxiously waiting to hear what the King of Ghosts would say. The battle had only been for the throne so perhaps even if he killed Danny, Pariah would spare the other ghosts and humans.

"I am, unfamiliar with this time. Before the seals on my prison were weakened, I could hear nothing of this world but as they weakened, I was able to hear passing moments. It seems that if I am to lead once more, I need to change the way I rule. You hold my subjects respect. They listen to you, yes?"

"I mean, they sometimes listen to me, mostly its only when they need something from me." Danny chuckled darkly; it seemed like lots of people liked listening to him when he could save them.

"Then you will help me rule this kingdom, we shall begin preparations at once." Pariah summoned a few more of the skeleton creatures and gave them orders.

"Whoa, wait, help you rule? You mean as like an advisor or mediator, right?"

"Of course not! You will be my consort! I shall only have someone stand beside me who can match my power and you boy, have not only the respect of my subject but the power to match me!"

"Consort?! I can't get married! Not to you, not to anyone!" Danny jumped out of the chair appalled, it was no secret that he was uninterested in dating, but that came with the territory of being a hero. There was no need to worry someone with that kind of burden; even when he and Sam dated for a short period, she was more worried about him that ever. So, they had ended on mutual terms and decided that they were better off as friends.

As calm as Pariah was attempting to be hearing the one, he had chosen as his mate refuse his hand angered him. With deep growl he shouted, "You will be my consort whether you choose to or not! I will have none but you by my side!"

Danny flinched back from the shout. He was used to shouting over winds or in the chaos of fleeing humans, but never in a room as eerily quiet as this one. "Look I can't marry you. What about my life back home? You already said this wasn't the world I belong too; I can't rule some place I know nothing about." Danny was trying a more level-headed approach. If he could make the King see his error than things would be solved, and Danny would be able to help as an advisor or something.

"You will move here." Pariah was nothing if not concise when it came to solutions.

"I can't!" Danny finally yelled back, he couldn't. His life was in Amity, his friends, his parents, they were all waiting on him. Without waiting for a dismissal Danny fled from the room and castle, flying at full speed to the Fenton portal. Without stopping he headed to his apartment; Jazz, his older sister, and two best friends, Tucker and Sam, were waiting in his living room nervously attempting to keep their attention on other things.

Without ceremony Danny transformed back into his human persona and stomped into his room slamming the door shut. It wasn't often that Danny lost control of his emotions. His emotions could be deadly, being slightly too angry could get someone hurt, being distracted could get him killed. It was best to just be numb to the world around him. To not let anyone close, even once he'd moved out of FentonWorks he began pulling away from Team Phantom. It wasn't that he no longer cared for them. It was that once day he'd make a mistake, and they would be the ones to suffer the aftermath, distancing himself would make it easier for them to move on from him.

Jazz tried to knock on his door, she softly tried to talk to him through the door, it wasn't often he shut them out, and without knowing what had happened in the Ghost Zone they could do nothing more than wait for Danny to tell then what to do. Eventually all three of them left with departing words whispered through the door, with a reassurance that they'd keep their phones on, and a promise to be ready when it came time to face Pariah.

The sky decanted into evening then into night without anything ghostly happening. No armies marched on the human world, and no more ghost came fleeing from the portal with tale of the horrors Pariah was now inflicting upon their home. All the while Danny just lay there in his bed trying to figure out his future. His promise to help was achievable without fighting. He sparred and fought as much as he needed to but if things could be resolved without fighting then he wanted to take the chance to bring peace.

The morning came quickly with Danny only catching a few hours of sleep. The front door left unanswered when his friends dropped by once more. It wasn't until the Fright Knight phased through his bedroom wall that Danny jumped out of bed.

"What do you want?" Danny's voice was tight, was Fright Knight going to use his Soul Shredder again?

"I have a message from my King, he requests an audience with you. You will join him at his Keep as soon as you are able." With that the Fright Knight disappeared as quickly as he'd come. It took several minutes for Danny to relax again as he waited for Fright Knight to return and begin a battle.

Danny quickly rushed around his room trying to think of what to do when he glanced at the clock. Clockwork! He would help. The old ghost had been Danny's mentor of the last several years teaching him the ways of the ghost zone and helping him to navigate his life on its best course.

The trip into the ghost zone was as quick as the one the day before and soon Danny was finding comfort in the gears and cogs that floated sporadically until he came across Clockwork's Citadel.

"Clockwork?" Even after all these years, Danny still called for the ghost's attention even though he knew full well that Clockwork knew of his arrival before he'd ever left.

Clockwork was there floating in front of his view screens when Danny entered, "Hello Daniel." Clockwork was one of the few people who still called Danny by his given name Daniel; it was such a parental thing to do that Danny felt himself give a small smile at the warm feeling.

"I assume you can't help me, can you?" Danny was fully aware of the time ghost's ability to meddle with time. However, he was also aware that Clockwork was not just his mentor but also guided the world in his own way.

"I'm afraid not, all I can offer you is my support." Clockwork smiled sadly, as much as he wanted to give Danny all the knowledge to the best future, he knew that the best course would be to let Daniel handle the situation in his own way.

With a gesture Clockwork moved them into a small sitting room filled with books. It was where they spent many hours either discussing different topics or in a lesson for Daniel. The half ghost was curious by nature and often asked the most interesting of questions.

Danny immediately relaxed into his typical chair. He pulled his knees to his chest and detransformed. It was here that Danny felt like he could relax. This was the only place he didn't have to be a hero, where he could be the scared teen with a freaky past and uncertain future. He was just Danny not Phantom or Fenton.

Neither of them spoke, content in their own thoughts and the silence until Danny broke it by standing and retransforming. With a soft farewell, the ghost boy flew away from his haven. He would do what was best for everyone, but he needed to make some things clear before he gave up his own life for that.

Clockwork sighed, Daniel was a catalyst in the creation of many evil and good futures. He belonged nowhere and everywhere at once. While this was no utopian timeline, but it was the best one that Clockwork could foresee Daniel enjoying.

"You will see in time Daniel."

Danny left the Citadel at a slow pace, he wasn't looking forward to what he had to do, but it would be the best choice. He made a promise that he intended to keep.

When he arrived back at Pariah's Keep, he couldn't keep the slight shiver from crawling down his spine. Fright Knight stood at the entrance to the castle itself and nodded in greeting. "Come you shall meet with my liege in the sitting room." Unlike last time where they passed through several hallways, this time they only passed through one. Pariah was already seated and dismissed Fright Knight without words.

"I have been told that you are still young by your realms standards. I suppose marrying at a young age is not as common as it once was."

Danny scoffed, "Whoever told you that was right. Honestly the age of marrying doesn't bother me, I'm of legal age, what bugs me is you're know as a tyrant. Why should I trust you, much less agree to marry you? What's stopping you from just stabbing me in the back once I lower my guard?!" Danny hadn't meant to go off on a rant but so many feelings had surfaced in the last few days. His need to protect, the panic and worry that came from knowing that people and ghosts alike were counting on him and knowing that he was not strong enough to defeat the King that sat before him.

Pariah narrowed his eyes but held his tongue until he felt some of his anger dissipate. Hearing someone so blatantly call him a liar or to propose that he would be untrue to his word was something no king would stand for. Their world was law for their subject and themselves. "You are not wrong in calling me a tyrant. I have ruled in fear both during my reign as a human and ghost. However, from what I've gathered that will no longer work. If I wish to keep my kingdom, I must be forced to change that way I rule."

Danny took a moment to process the words. If Pariah was willing to change wasn't that all Danny needed? He had given everyone around him second, third, and even fourth chances to change and make things right. It was only fair to give Pariah Dark the same curtesy.

Before Danny could speak Pariah continued, "However, I am no liar. If you are to be my consort, I would never turn my back on you or betray your trust. I would expect the same of you." Pariah punctuated the sentence with a glare.

Danny's anger and unease flared at the glare but when Pariah made no move to do anything else it died down. With that in mind Danny decided to finally take a seat, he didn't draw his legs up as he had at Clockworks instead, he sat with perfect posture and both feet planted firmly on the ground. "I- "Danny took a deep breath to steady his nerves, "I will not marry you, unless you can prove yourself changed. You said you wouldn't betray my trust, but you've given me no promise that you will do right by everyone. So, until then we can talk, and figure out how we both want things to go. I don't want to let the ghosts down, but I'm not ready to agree to anything yet."

Pariah leaned back against his own chair and smirked. His chosen was bright even if he was still young, in time he would make a wonderful consort.

"I will agree to your terms; I require you to meet with me every evening for a meal and reside here on your weekends. Is this a sufficient arrangement for the moment?"

Danny tapped his chin in thought, "I won't be able to stay every weekend as sometimes I'll need to be at FentonWorks with Maddie and Jack but- "

"You call your parents by their given names? I was not aware of this custom in your realm."

"Oh, um, no I guess it's not custom, but I'm part ghost and they're ghost hunters. It's sort of hard to think of them as my parents when they're always hunting me and talking about ripping me apart molecule by molecule." Danny gave a dark chuckle. His parents hadn't even noticed when he started the process of moving out, it wasn't until Danny and Jazz had taken stuff out to her car in boxes that they had make mention of it. It wasn't until he was gone for an entire month that it finally sank it.

Pariah Dark was not a man who showed emotions around those that he was unfamiliar with but there was something in those electric green eyes that drew forth all the feelings of sorrow that the old ghost contained. For a moment Pariah saw the child that lay hidden under the mask of a hero, and it made him regret how harsh he was. He said nothing in response, if there were words that could make the sadness disappear from the younger's eyes, he would have gladly spoken them but none came to mind so he thought it best to stay quiet.

"I should head back to my apartment, before I go, promise me you won't act against the ghost zone, not until we've figured this out."

"You have my word young Phantom, for the moment I will remain within my own domain."

Danny gave a curt nod and flew out of the room. Fright Knight entered the room shortly after the young halfa had left, "The boy has had a rough time. The first time I encountered him he was much younger; it seems time has only brought him more burdens."

"Time is friend nor enemy to anyone. I have promised not to leave but attempt to recruit staff for the Keep at once, a room needs to be readied for Phantom and none of our current staff know how to care for a human."

Fright Knight made no comment, just bowed slightly, and left the room. With a sigh Pariah cursed the proceedings. He would be as patient as he could but there was only so long, he could wait to reclaim his title.


	3. Chapter 3

When Danny got back to his apartment Sam was the only one waiting for him. She was curled up on one end of his sofa with her nose in a book. She didn't pause as he walked in and sat down in a chair opposite her, she just sat there reading waiting for him to begin talking.

"I met with Pariah Dark." Immediately the book was forgotten in favor of checking Danny over for injuries. Danny gently pushed her hands away, "I'm fine, no harm done. He didn't attack me." There was no need to mention their initial duel. Danny had agreed to it after all.

Sam settled back onto the couch with a skeptical look, "Seeing as you're not passed out on the floor bleeding, I'll believe you. But what happened? Ghosts have even started seeking out Tucker, Jazz and me looking for you."

Danny nodded silently trying to think of a way to tell Sam what was happening, "Pariah has promised not to attack the humans or ghosts so long as I meet with him to discuss how things should be ruled. He wants a second chance, I think, he could've wasted me Sam but several times he hasn't."

Sam looked apprehensive but nodded, "I'll trust you but are you sure? Just because someone says they want to change doesn't mean they will."

"Yeah, if I can solve this without fighting, I want to try."

Sam stood and grabbed her book from the floor. Kissing his cheek as she left, "I'll let Tucker and Jazz know you are home, try to get some rest, you look half dead." With a small chuckle, she left the apartment and locked the door behind her.

Danny couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped. Without ceremony, Danny kicked his shoes off and curled up right there in the chair. The entire situation was laughable, but Danny found little humor in it. Even here in his apartment, a place he was meant to call home, nothing felt right. He was always slightly out of place no matter where he went.

He sat there unmoving for several hours before getting up with a groan. Nothing was going to be fixed if all he did was sit here. Instead he got up and began planning. His school work would be easy; he could take his books and laptop with during the weekends to complete his assignments. He was enrolled in online classes and they only met for a lecture every few weeks. His job was in the mornings and wouldn't mind him taking the weekends off as they already used to him having to change his schedule often.

He sighed, there was no easy way to tell his friends and sister that he might be getting married. Instead he would just omit that part. The ghosts were content to hang around the human world for a few weeks and within that time hopefully Danny could convince them of Pariah's change.

For now, everything was going as smoothly as it could. With a small amount accomplished Danny felt better about just lazing around for the rest of the day. It was well into the evening but with all the ghosts fearing for their lives there was no reason to patrol. Danny still transformed and headed towards his normal patrol route. He didn't bother to grab a thermos, and instead just floated leisurely along his route.

Flying alone like this was the only time that he truly felt content. The sky belonged to no one, it was the only place where, like him, no one belonged. The lights below him all began to flicker off as families started turning in for the night. Danny turned over to face the stars as he lay there floating. For several minutes, he just lay there naming off all the constellations that he'd memorized as a child.

By the time he even started heading home Danny felt a lot calmer than he had in the last few days. Between the stars and the sky, he always felt the calmest. It was a shame he didn't just take a moment to relax more often.

Danny phased through his own window and once again was super grateful that he didn't have nosy neighbors. If people actually paid attention he figured his secret wouldn't be much of a secret anymore.

Danny sat down on the edge of his bed and flopped backwards. Even though he wished things could be simple, it rarely ever was.

The week passed slowly, and the dinners with Pariah we're nothing short of the most uncomfortable experiences Danny had to date. The dinners passed by in silence, and the talks afterward followed the same pattern. They sat in awkward silence for a bit, then Pariah would clear his throat and start talking about the needs of the ghosts. It was at least slightly productive.

It was Friday evening and Danny had just come back to his apartment from dinner with Pariah. He'd head to the Keep for the weekend but for the moment his had to deal with his enraged sister.

"Where have you been?! You've disappeared every night this week and no one can ever reach you unless we ambush you here. I know you want your space Danny but how are we supposed to help you if you won't allow us too?"

Jazz stood near the far wall with her arms cross and glaring at Danny as he went about the room.

"Not sure what you want to say Jazz. I've just been busy keeping my promise to the ghosts." Jazmine Fenton was no push over and she'd known for a long time how to tell if Danny was lying but for once she was stumped. He was either telling just enough of the truth to believe it, or he wasn't lying at all.

"I know for a fact you haven't been with the ghosts. Skulker has come barging in on everyone at least once demanding to know where you are." Jazz stood there smugly, even if he was telling a half-truth calling him out was a good way to get him to crack.

"Look Jazz, I know you're trying to help but really I'm fine. I really am working on helping the Ghosts, just let them know I'm doing my best if they come looking for you again." No twitching or fidgeting accompanied the statement. Jazz let her arms fall to her sides as she stepped across the room to embrace her baby brother.

"Danny, I know you want to protect us from Pariah Dark but if you need help defeating him we're going to help you no matter how dangerous it is." Jazz was shocked when she felt him stiffen. He was used to Jazz and his friend insisting upon helping him but he'd never been more scared in that moment for them and Pariah. The old ghost wasn't the most up to date or even the most relaxed but he was trying and Danny didn't want to hurt someone who was really willing to change.

"Jazz stay away from Pariah. That goes for Sam and Tucker as well. I'll deal with him however I choose but you three will not be a part of it." Danny stepped out from his sisters embrace and walked to his bedroom closing the door behind him. He needed to tell them the truth, otherwise they might to something stupid like going to attack Pariah with just the Specter Speeder and some weapons.

When Danny finally decided to stop over analyzing exactly how many ways this conversation could go wrong, Jazz was nowhere to be found. With a sigh of relief Danny crumpled onto the couch, he'd avoided the conversation for a bit longer but he needed to tell them eventually.

Danny finally picked himself up off the couch and went to his bedroom to pack. He didn't need a ton of things but he did need to make sure he took all is school things. There were several assignments due including a paper that he hadn't even stared.

With his bag packed Danny tossed the bag at the onto the floor by the foot of his bed and got ready for bed.

The next morning came quickly, Danny was up around noon, all the late nights were finally catching up with him it seemed. He wrote a quick note for anyone who came to check his apartment promising to be back Sunday evening. With that he threw the strap over his shoulder and walked out the door like a human. Danny didn't bother transforming as he got near FentonWorks, Jack and Maddie had left for the weekend on a small trip to a convention so they wouldn't be home until after Danny anyway.

It was strange walking through his old house, it should make him feel at ease but instead it just made him uncomfortable. No part of the house was safe for him, at any time the security system could lock onto his ecto signature and shoot at him. The lab however was a mix of feelings. It was a way to enter a place where he felt safe but it was in a place that didn't make him feel safe.

Danny didn't waste any time as he stepped through the portal, and transformed. He flew leisurely through the zone. It was rare to fly without seeing another ghost and while it was unusual, Danny had explored much of the ghost zone. He favorite places were the places where not many ghosts went or knew about like Clockwork's Citadel. None, besides him, traveled there regularly, even the observants only went there when they wanted Clockwork to do their dirty work.

Danny hovered above the pathway leaded up to Pariah's castle. He floated over to the doors quickly and knocked gently. Within moments there was a servant there to open the doors. She greeted Danny with a smile and slight bow before taking his things and shooing him off to the sitting room that he'd grown accustomed with.

There in the back of his mind he could have sworn he'd seen the girl before. He was so lost in his musings that he failed to notice the third party in the sitting room as he walked in.

"Oh Danny! There you are! I was beginning to worry, I know you can get so side tracked sometimes!" Pandora, the ghost of the Grecian warrior, swept him up in a hug with all four of her arms.

Danny stood tense in the embrace before hugging back with just as much enthusiasm, "Pandora! What are you doing here?" He knew Pandora wasn't a ghost who normally traveled outside her realm, "Has something happened to your box, I doubt it was The Box Ghost I just saw him a day ago, and he didn't have it with him. Do you –"

Pandora chuckled, "Come, come sit. My box is perfectly safe, I only wished to see you get settled on your first weekend here. I know you have been in the ghost zone before but I worry about you. When Pariah informed me, you would be staying for the weekend I just had to come see you for a bit."

Pandora was no soft-hearted woman, she was fierce and commanded respect, but she did have a soft stop for the young halfa who traveled to her domain often just to chat or train. The boy would make a fine consort, and a fine prince. Danny was already wise well beyond his years and he would bring the ghosts great happiness.

"It's great to see you, but why'd Pariah tell you I was here?" Danny glanced around the tall woman to look at Pariah who was sitting calmly in his usual chair.

"He heard that you had stayed with me several times and has requested that my staff attend you and the castle during your stays."

Pandora was quite the chatter box when she wanted to be. She went on to list all the servants that she had brought with her, as well as some of Danny's artifacts from his room in her palace, and how she was over joyed that he was spending more time in his home.

Danny quietly sank down into one of the chairs and listened with half an ear. Pandora was a mother figure to him, treating him as her own, and not caring about his biological difference from other ghosts. She even gave Danielle, Danny's younger female clone, a place to stay when she wasn't traveling.

"Oh, and your cousin should be home soon! Danielle sent a letter a few days ago that she was finishing up her tour of Vietnam, I do believe she'll only be staying for a few days before she's off again so you'll need to come by and see her, or let her know that you're here. You know how much she detests Amity."

Danielle, while being his clone, was much more relaxed and free spirited that Danny would ever be. She loved traveling, making friends, learning new languages, and taking pictures. However, as much as she loved her cousin she didn't often visit him in Amity Park. Too many bad memories haunted her there, and there was always the chance of Vlad finding her.

Danny beamed his mood was bursting with joy at the thought of seeing Danielle, Dani with an "I" she'd insist, again. He hated that he was unable to make her feel welcome in Amity but he understood. Even for him the town was beginning to fill with memories that sometimes kept him up at night.

Pariah Dark sat watching the two speak with a small smile on his face. He'd learned of Pandora's fondness for Danny, and sent a letter asking to employ several of her staff to make Danny's stay more comfortable. She'd replied almost instantly insisting that she travel to the Keep and make sure Pariah had no intention of hurting her little halfa.

When Pandora had arrived she quickly ordered her servants to make up a room to Danny's liking and had some of his things brought there to make it homelier. She had explained that she'd come to view Danny as a son, and only wanted what was best for him. She had no objections to Pariah seeking him as his consort but she remained addiment that the final decision remains with Danny.

"He's had enough burdens placed upon him, if he wishes to undertake this one, it will be by his own choice. I will not force my child to take on more just for the sake of the world. He deserves a moment of peace in his life." She told him with a stern voice.

For the old king it was comical, he knew very well that he could eliminate Pandora within moments but instead he nodded at her words. He recognized the motherly tone she'd taken. She only wanted to protect those she cared about and he could not fault her for that.

Pariah kept a sharp eye on the youngest ghost, he was smiling, laughing, and for once comfortable in the room. Danny's eyes would brighten when Pandora spoke of his cousin, someone he made a note to ask about later, and when he mentions how well his studies went with Ghostwriter. Yet another curious quality of his consort to be was the number of powerful ghosts he had on his side. In only a few years, he'd made friends with notable ghosts such Pandora, Princess Dorathea, the Yeti's of the Far Frozen and, if rumor was to be believed, even the master of time himself, Clockwork. And since then he'd even gotten many ghosts who were once his enemies to respect him.

Eventually one of Pandora's servants quietly entered the room, and announced that lunch was ready.

"Come now, I've had all your favorites prepared." Pandora ushered Danny to follow the servant as she turned to look at Pariah, "I'm sure you've noticed how special Danny is, you'd do well to remember that many ghosts care for him, should things go amiss none would hesitate to defend him." Pandora held no malice in the worlds, and only said them as a warning. She was one of the ghosts who remembered the true horrors that Pariah Dark had brought upon their world, but she saw the small glint in his eye as he looked at her son.

Danny always gave people a second chance something that he vehemently stood for no matter the consequence. Pandora would follow her ward's example.

Pariah Dark and Pandora walked a few steps behind Danny and the servant. It was funny to watch how easily Danny slipped into conversation even with those he barely knew. When he first got his powers, many ghosts feared that he would be too much like Plasmius and tried hunting him out of fear. As the boy grew he proved time and time again that he was everything Plasmius and other humans were not. He cared for both the worlds and didn't extinguish a single ghost's life even when he fought. The humans held no amount of mercy for ghosts and to Plasmius they were merely a means to an end.

They entered the dining hall to a large feast laid out on the table. Danny, being versed in older traditions thanks to Princess Dorathea's teachings, stood next to his chair and waiting paciently for Pariah to sit first before taking his seat.

Dinner conversation mostly was between Pandora and Danny with the occasional comment from Pariah until Pandora asked, "Danny, why do you stay in your ghost form, I thought eating in your ghost form made you sick?"

Danny who was in the middle of sipping some wine choked. He hadn't expected Pandora to being up his human form in front of Pariah. It was well known, even among young ghosts, that he held no fondness for humans.

"I'm fine, it doesn't happen as often anymore." Danny shrugged off the concern and hoped that Pandora would move onto a new topic.

She opened her mouth to reprimand Danny for not taking better care of himself when Pariah spoke, "If you are unable to eat in this form it would be best for you to eat in your human form."

Danny sat stunned for a moment, before he finally transformed. It was a relief to be back in his human form. Danny had grown a lot stronger even being able to sleep through the night without transforming back, but he still preferred his 'natural state' as it were.

Pariah sat a bit annoyed not only with himself but with Danny. The boy should have made mention of things that made him uncomfortable. However, Pariah felt more anger towards himself, he hadn't noticed and yet he was attempting to court the boy. He couldn't hate a portion of the boy if he intended to marry him.

For a few moments, they all sat in silence as they picked at their food until Danny perked up, "Hey do you think Danielle would come to Amity to at least see Jazz? She's missed her a lot, and even Sam and Tucker worry about Danielle so it'd be nice for them to get to see her."

Pandora tapped her chin with one of her four hands, "You would need to ask her yourself, but I think she would be willing to go for a bit, you know how fond of your sister and friends she is."

Danny nodded, normally he would bring his friends and Jazz into the ghost zone to see Dani, but he didn't want to risk upsetting Pariah.

After they all finished eating they sat at the cleared table just chatting late into the afternoon. Eventually Pandora decided it was time to return to her own domain, "I still expect you to come see me often, and I'll send a letter to you when Dani returns home."

Danny let his mother figure go with a big hug and continued to wave until she disappeared from view. Pariah stood off to the side, he had given a small nod as a goodbye, and welcomed her back to his Keep anytime she wished.

"Thanks for letting her come to visit me, I haven't gotten a chance to see Pandora lately and it was really nice to see her." Danny gave a smiled thankful smile to Pariah. "Anyway, what now?"

Danny shuffled awkwardly from side to side before realizing he hadn't transformed back into Phantom after they'd finished eating.

"You are free to do what you'd like, there are a few things I must attend to." Pariah didn't bother waiting for a response as he just walked away with Fright Knight, who'd just appeared out of nowhere.


	4. Chapter 4

Danny walked the halls for a bit trying to find his room until he came across one of the servants Pandora had left here at the castle, "Can you tell me which way my room is?" Danny sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, but the servant only chuckled and gestured for him to follow. It was no secret that Danny wasn't the greatest with finding his way around castles, he'd gotten lost in Pandora's palace many times before.

The servant opened a door and left Danny on his own. Danny stepped inside and silently thanked Pandora for thinking ahead and bringing some of his things from her palace over. Among the items were some extra clothes, a sword that he was used to practicing with, and a few of his favorite books.

Danny wanted to grab his sword and find an area to practice but he knew that his studies came first. So instead he grabbed his book bag that he'd brought with him and left his room hoping to find a library.

Another hour of wondering finally found him in a large library on the other side of the castle. Danny sat down at one of the tables and pulled out all his things. With a sigh Danny dove right in. Several hours had passed before the staff began searching for the halfa, they had prepared dinner, but no one was able to find him. They searched the castle and its grounds several more times, hoping to find him wondering around some place they'd forgotten to look.

Eventually one of the servants finally told Fright Knight who then relayed it to their very angry king, "Why was no one keeping an eye on him?!"

Pariah Dark was standing within his own chambers yelling at the Fright Knight before he sent the knight off to start a search for the halfa outside the walls. Pariah felt betrayed, and foolish. He'd attempted to make the halfa feel at home, and he was repaid by the little brat running away. Pariah was so angry that he knew he'd need to calm down soon or he'd lose all the trust he'd earned from the ghosts.

In an attempt to calm down Pariah wondered over to his personal library when he was met with a relieving if not perplexing sight. Danny was there, in his human form, with his head laying down on a book, pencil still in hand. His laptop had long since gone to sleep and was just sitting there open but screen black.

Pariah Dark couldn't help the slight relief that swept over him, he was beginning to care for the young halfa, and although a large part of him refused to admit it he was relieved to know the halfa hadn't run from him.

The ghost king fidgeted just slightly in a rare moment of insecurity, the boy was half human, so he needed to eat but that also meant he required sleep, if he woke him would that be bad? Was it normal for teens to fall asleep like this? Pariah thought back and he never recalled falling asleep at a table or amid his work.

The steady breath of his intended was calming, it wasn't a foreign sound, but it was one he'd long since forgotten. Pariah walked over and moved to wake the boy when a hand reached out and caught his.

Danny bolted up out of his seat and grabbed the hand reaching for him. He released the hand that was reaching for him and backed up closer to the wall transforming as he did so. He'd been awoken by the footsteps. Was it Jack? No, the footsteps were to precise. One of his ghost enemies? But why would they be walking. Without realizing it Danny was in full on "battle mode" as he called it.

There were only a few places he could fall asleep without being at least slightly aware of his surroundings. Danny quickly scanned the room, why was he in a library? Had he fallen asleep in Ghostwriter's manor again? Danny stopped worrying about where he was and instead focused solely on whoever had attempted to touch him.

Pariah watched as the halfa quickly scanned his surroundings. Pariah straightened but made no move towards or away from Phantom.

The two of them stood there facing each other neither moving until Danny slowly came back to himself, "Pariah? Wha- What happened?"

Pariah could sense the genuine confusion coming off him in waves and tried to think of something that would calm him, "You feel asleep in my personal library. The staff was looking for you, dinner is ready for us."

Danny slowly let his muscles loosen, his hands unclenched, and the ectoblasts died in his hands. He took several deep breaths before totally relaxing and smiling sheepishly at Pariah, "Sorry, I'm usually not like that."

Danny offered nothing more for an explanation and stepped forward to collect his things. Pariah took a moment to step back as not to crowd the boy. It wasn't obvious but there were small signs that let him know that Danny still hadn't fully relaxed. His brow was slightly furrowed, and his eyes kept darting around the room as if looking for any sign of a threat.

Danny waited until Pariah began walking to follow him. Before they reached the dining hall a servant stopped and tried to talk to Danny. Danny backed away towards the wall and threw up an ecto-shield around himself. The servant made no move to attack or defend only calmly standing there until Danny released, he wasn't being attacked. The servant nodded thoughtfully at Danny's stuttered apologies and just took his things back to his room.

Pariah watched the entire scene with something akin to pity. It was clear that Pandora's servants had dealt with such behavior before even if the youngling tried to hide it. It was also clear that only years of traumatic experiences could have caused such reactions. It was a good thing that Danny preferred to defend than to attack.

Danny picked at his food throughout dinner. He jumped slightly when servants walked in and out of the room or asked if he'd like more of something. Eventually they all left him alone, and only certain servants approached him.

Pariah ate his own food in silence and made no comment about Danny transforming back into his human form. It seemed that as jumpy as the young ghost was it would be best, for the moment at least, to just allow him to act as he saw fit.

With dinner finished and cleared away Danny sat ramrod straight in his chair. The only movement he made was a slight tapping of his dominate hands fingers.

"You should retire for the evening, I have matters to attend to." Danny wasted no time in bolting out of the chair and disappearing into his room.

Pariah called for the servant who attended Danny the most. Without prompting the servant launched into an explanation, "Lady Pandora warned us of Sir Danny's behaviors and advised us to notify you if they grew too hazardous for us to handle. He has been like that ever since he first began visiting Lady Pandora. He would often jump if we moved too quickly or approached when he hadn't anticipated it. Lady Pandora never told us why, but there are a few servants, such as myself, who have served him for long enough that he is able to relax when he's in 'battle mode' as he calls it."

Pariah Dark dismissed the servant with the wave of his hand, "Fright Knight. Tell me of the boy's human life."

Even Fright Knight grimaced. He'd attacked the halfa on many occasions but even he pitied the way the boy's parents treated him. "His friends and sister love him very much, as does the other halfa named Danielle. He has many enemies, though over recent months they've come to respect him."

"And what of the boy's parents?"

"They are ghost hunters. In the beginning, we all laughed at them, they were nothing more than an annoyance, but in recent months they've begun to adapt their equipment to hunt us better. They've become a threat now."

Pariah noticed the way Fright Knight danced around speak of Danny's relationship to his parents. With a narrowed gaze Pariah demanded to know the details of whatever Fright Knight was attempting to skirt around.

"They are constantly seen hunting Danny Phantom; they'll ignore other ghosts completely just for the chance to shoot at him. Even when he is in his human form, they are always upset with him and up until he moved, they would rant about destroying his other half. Even I grow angry at his parent's treatment of their son. However, he still cares for them that is why many ghosts just try to avoid them."

Pariah Dark was not a soft-hearted man, he never dwelt on his own parents, and never felt that family attachments were important. The moment Fright Knight spoke of the boy's treatment he was angered and felt pity for the boy. However, he made no move to eliminate the problem. He'd already promised the boy that while they were still working towards their goals Pariah would not harm anyone, human or ghost.

"Assign a guard detail to watch the two ghost hunters, if they attempt anything towards your future prince, I want them detained."

Fright Knight bowed respectfully and left, even he as uncaring as he was, wished that Danny could suffer less. It was well known that Danny had several powerful allies but even they were powerless to help when the halfa himself forbade them from helping. If Danny Phantom had one fault it was that he believed that he was meant to shoulder his burdens alone.

The rest of the weekend Pariah, at the advice of many servants, simply left Danny on his own. He requested his presence for their meals but other than that he tried to leave the halfa to get comfortable with the castle. Pariah often had to ask the servants for help with some of Danny's strange qualities. Pariah was a human once but at a time were things were very different. He remembered the basics, but Danny was a fully unique case. His biology switched between human and ghosts, there was no amount of knowledge other than from those who had observed him longest, on how to take care of him.

Midday on Sunday Danny sought out Pariah and asked a servant to guide him to the king. The servant was quick to follow the will of their Prince and announced his arrival.

Pariah was seated at his desk in his private chambers when Danny entered. Danny moved to shuffle his feet but caught himself and straightened his posture. Pariah smirked slightly; Danny was more knowledgeable than he let on when it came to face those in power. Never show your uncertainty or fear, lest they eat you alive.

"I came to let you know I'd be leaving shortly after dinner." Danny's voice was steady, smooth, and left no room for argument.

Even Pariah with his many centuries of ruling was pleasantly surprised with how quickly Danny fell into his role. Prince or not Danny would be expected to speak to everyone with a cool demeanor and allow no room for doubt in his leadership abilities. Everyday Danny proved how worthy he was of the title of Prince even if it was not yet official.

"I also will be missing dinner on Wednesday of the coming week."

Pariah nodded to his first statement but raised a brow to his second.

"Maddi- Mom and dad asked me to come over for dinner." Danny hoped that Pariah didn't pick up on his little slip. Even though his relationship with his parents was unstable he didn't want to make it known to everyone. It was one thing for his allies and friends to know how fragile their bonds had become but Danny still didn't trust Pariah enough to give him to many details.

Pariah's face hardened at the thought. He'd many times had to sit through dinners or meetings with people he didn't trust or disliked, and he felt no remorse for trying to escape such situations at quickly as possible. But when it was your kin, those who were supposed to love you, it was harder to dismiss their words and actions so easily. Pariah gave a curt nod in acceptance.

Danny stood for a moment debating whether to leave or not. Instead he strode forward and sat down in one of the vacant chairs. "What are you working on?"

Pariah was shocked that Danny had taken a seat but didn't allow it to show. "At the moment, I am going of the history I have missed while I was confined."

Danny nodded, "This might be stupid, but what does a King actually do? I mean for my world they're always portrayed as sitting around doing a ton of paperwork or out on the battlefield, but is that really all they do?"

Pariah noted is page and closed the book of history he was reading and turned to face Danny, "Not quite, we only go into battle to defend our lands, and the paperwork is not as big of a concern in the ghost zone. I have no neighboring kingdoms to threaten my reign, only the people who I rule over are of concern for me. Though now I do suppose the human realm is a threat."

"The humans, other than Team Phantom, don't know of your return. None of the humans come into the ghost zone other than us anyway, they're too afraid."

"Team Phantom?"

"Oh yeah, my sister, Jazz, named our group that. It's normally just me, Tuck, Sam and Jazz but in times of crisis it expands to an entire group of halfas, humans, and ghosts."

"You have a force all your own, why do you not employ it more? You defend your human town alone instead of having them help you."

"Well they're my friends first, and if they don't need to fight then I don't want them too."

"I admit, your way of thinking baffles me. However, on that note, I would ask that you be more careful. You are a Prince to be now, your own safety is of great importance now."

Danny couldn't help but chuckle, "I'm still not used to hearing that. Some of the servants have started bowing to me, like I'm someone important it's kind of funny really."

Pariah couldn't help but scowl. It was obvious that Phantom was uncomfortable with lots of attention but that was no reason to joke of his status, "Your status is important, even though you have not agreed to my proposal of marriage, you are still respected. You command those that otherwise would have no direction."

Danny smiled sadly, "Yeah, I know." There was more behind his words and for once Pariah intended to figure out how the young ghost went from smiling and laughing to looking so haunted by his memories.

"You are more disturbed by the thought of power than most would be, why is that?"

"Well, I- "Danny hesitated there was no point to lying, "Clockwork once showed me a future where I devastated both worlds. I was worse than… well you. I killed without thought and took pleasure in the suffering of others."

Pariah Dark was not easily shocked but for a moment he had no words. It was well known that Clockwork did not interfere in the timeline unless he felt it was best for the masses. It seemed that if Clockwork himself had interfered in the boy's timeline than he was much more important than people would ever know. But what shocked him most was his reluctance for power. Pariah remembered how power hungry he was in life and even after death. Even now he had originally coveted Danny because of his power.

"If my memory serves me correctly, the master of time does not interfere unless it is of great importance, he guided you onto the correct path, that alone proves that you changed that future. He would not have interfered unless he felt you could continue down the path, he wanted you to follow." For a moment Pariah paused and thought if his next words would be well received, "I realize I must apologize. I sought your hand because I was power hungry. However, I see now that is my downfall. For the future, I vow to look at you as yourself. I think it would be important to tell you that if we are partners, I will balance you, and keep you from turning into the thing you fear."

Danny sat in shock. He hadn't expected Pariah to mention his own shortcomings or even attempt to comfort him. They sat in silence just looking at each other until finally Danny broke the silence with a small smile, "You're not as bad as I thought you were. Maybe we can make this work."

Pariah gave his own smile. They both knew that to move forward they would need to grow to trust each other, that this was on the beginning in the moments they would share. Danny stood and stretched probably intending to leave but Pariah had one more thing he wish to bring up.

"Your cousin, Danielle, she is welcome here as well." With gritted teeth Pariah spoke the sentence that made hope bloom in Danny's heart, "Your human companions could come here to see her. If she is half ghost like you then she is partially a citizen of mine, she should not be forced to enter the human world if she is unwilling."

Danny paused mid-stretch, and in the next moment was in front of Pariah giving him a hug of all things. Quickly he pulled back with the largest grin on his face. "I promise they'll be on their best behavior, no weapons, or anything. Thank you!" With that he flew out of the room at a breath-taking pace, no doubt to send a letter to Pandora about the change of plans.

Pariah sat in shock. It was funny how very little used to shock the old ghost but now the half ghost seemed to be filling his like with little shocks. There was no doubt that they had made great strides, Danny was warming up to the idea of their marriage and Pariah was letting go of old grudges to keep someone happy. For once, it seemed the both were moving toward a hopeful future.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thank you all for your support on this and my other fics! I look forward to writing more for you guys. If you also likeI have recently created a Ko-Fi if you'd like to help support the creation of these stories feel free to buy me a coffee there! I put the link in my bio or you can search by name under alic3paig3. (its a picture of a sleeping snorlax!) Thank you all again!**_

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Danny waved back to Pariah as he shot off towards the Fenton portal. He was ecstatic about being able to bring his friends to see Dani. But even more than that he was happy to see the change within Pariah.

Danny finally collapsed into his bed after tossing his bag on the couch. The weekend had its ups and downs but hopefully things would continue to get better. Tomorrow he'd meet up with Sam, Tucker and Jazz, he needed to prepare them to go to Pariah's Keep to meet with Dani, plus he needed to finally tell them what was happening. He couldn't keep them in the dark forever. With that in mind Danny pulled himself off the bed and unpacked his things.

The assignments he'd had for the weekend were mainly finished, only his essay remained unfinished, but he could finish that tomorrow in his down time. Everything else could be submitted tonight and then he wouldn't need to worry about school for a few days. With that in mind Danny transformed and headed out for patrol.

The following morning Danny was woken up to Jazz jumping onto him. "Time to get up! Come on even Tucker is already awake."

Danny chuckled and pushed her off letting her fall onto the floor, "Alright, I'm up."

Jazz stuck her tongue out and shuffled out of his room probably heading to wait in the living room with Sam and Tucker.

Danny quickly completed his morning routine and headed out to greet his friends. "Finally, ready to tell us what you've been hiding?" Sam, ever the blunt friend, didn't waste time in getting to the heart of the problem.

Danny shocked all of them when he nodded, "Actually yeah." With a small smirk he continued, "Well first, Pariah is off limits for attacks. He and I have agreed that he will stay within his own domain until I believe he really has changed. The ghosts are free to return to their homes without fear of him or remain here." That was the easy part, "Secondly, I have informally agreed to become a part of the ruling authorities of the Ghost Zone. Next- "

Jazz cut him off, "What exactly does that mean?"

Danny flinched, he'd really hoped Jazz would over look how vague he'd been, "Pariah would like me to help rule and govern the ghost zone and its inhabitants."

"As an advisor, right?"

"Not exactly…" Danny trailed off hoping Jazz wouldn't push but the look she was giving him made it obvious that she was unwilling to let this go. "Pariah has propositioned that I help him rule by becoming the prince."

Tucker surprisingly was the first to catch on, "He wants you to marry him?" Jazz and Sam started at the tech-geek in horror before rounding on Danny hoping he'd brush off Tucker's accusation.

"Yeah. There's more to it, but I wanted to tell you guys that Dani is gonna be in town this weekend and I was thinking you guys could come into the ghost zone to meet her. She's gonna be staying with me for the weekend."

They all knew that he would be discussing this again in the future but for now they all excitedly gushed about the return of their favorite little huntress. Dani had stopped growing after they stabilized her ghost half giving her mind a chance to catch up with her body. For all of them they viewed her like a little sister, constantly doting on her.

They all agreed to meet up Friday morning and leave to the Ghost Zone, so they would have plenty of time to spend with Danielle. Danny liked the sound of that, in the past few weeks he'd begun to think of Pariah's Keep as his home. While it wasn't his home, yet it was similar to staying with Pandora, he didn't feel out of place and was able to relax. Hopefully Dani would feel as comfortable as he did. Sam and Tucker left both reminding him that they'd be expecting more answers from him soon.

Jazz remained behind letting Danny stretch out in his chair as she watched. When had Danny become so unfamiliar?

"Go ahead ask."

"How do you feel about this? I mean last time we even mentioned you having a relationship you all but threatened us until we left it alone."

Danny flinched, "Honestly, I'm not happy at the idea of a relationship much less a marriage, but it would protect all the people counting on me; humans and ghosts." Danny gave her a small smile, "This weekend we'll be staying at Pariah's Keep actually. Dani agreed to meet him, she doesn't know anything about him besides what she's heard from everyone else. She's willing to give him a chance so I'm really hoping you will too."

Jazz frowned, she wasn't keen on the idea of being under the same roof as a known tyrant, but she would agree to give him a chance, if only for Danny. "Alright, I've really missed Dani, so I guess I'm going no matter what I think of him. I'll try to keep an open mind."

Danny beamed at her and gave her a hug. She decided it would be best to leave, "Don't forget on Wednesday were having dinner with Mom and Dad." Jazz pretended not to notice the way Danny's posture slouched forward, and his eyes filled with pain. She noticed it every time Danny walked into Fenton works, how the people he used to trust more than anything in the world were now so frightening that he recoiled at the mention of them.

Jazz gave him a peck on the cheek and left. Leaving Danny to wrestle with his own feelings towards Maddie and Jack Fenton. Danny knew how wrong it was for him to distaste them, but when he thought of them he thought of the weapons being fired at him and the look of disgust on their faces when they mentioned his ghost half.

Wednesday came far too quickly for Danny's tastes. Jazz greeted him at the door with a hug and ushered him into the kitchen where she was helping Maddie finish dinner.

"Hey m-mom, dad." Danny hesitated at his mother's name but luckily none, but Jazz noticed. Danny sheepishly slid into one of the chairs around the dining table.

"Danny boy! You're just in time we were telling Jazz about our new plan to capture Phantom!" Jack boomed as he trailed in from the basement carrying a set of blueprints.

Maddie turned away from the stove and turned to drop a kiss on top of Danny's head as she addressed her husband, "Honey don't get any food on the blueprints."

"You got it Mads! So, we're calling it the Fenton Finisher! It shorts out a ghost's powers and knocks them unconscious in one blast!" The design was large and cumbersome, bigger than even a Fenton Foamer.

"Neat." Danny unconsciously shifted away from his father. Danny hated himself every time he pushed his family away, but it was the only thing keeping him safe. There was no telling what Maddie and Jack would do if they found out their son was the famed Danny Phantom.

Jazz came over and rolled up the plans before leaving with them. "Come on no talk of ghost hunting at the table." Thankfully Jazz derailed the conversation for the rest of the night. She kept the conversation focused on school or work, anything was better than ghosts.

Dinner thankfully finished without any more problems and soon Danny and Jazz were headed out saying their goodbyes to each other and their parents.

Friday morning found Danny unable to control his excitement. Work passed in a haze as all Danny could focus on was their upcoming time with Dani and Pariah. Maybe they could all go over to Pandora's this weekend. Danny was tempted to go to Clockwork's, but the old ghost was always watching so there was never a real need for them to keep him updated on their lives.

Sam and Tucker were lounging on his couch when he got home, "Yeah sure just make yourselves at home." Danny rolled his eyes when Tucker kicked his feet up on the table with a huge grin.

Danny left them to their own devices and went to grab his own prepacked bag and hauled it out to the living room.

"Whoa man you packed for a weekend or an entire week?" Tucker stared at the overflowing bags. His backpack was filled to the brim with more things that he wanted at the Keep as well as his schoolwork that reluctantly had to be done sometime this weekend. The other was filled with clothes, he figured he might as well leave some clothes there since he's half living there now.

Danny just gave a noncommittal shrug and plopped onto the couch next to Sam. The three dissolved into their own peaceful worlds. It wasn't often that Danny was able to just sit like this with his friends anymore, he was always fighting a ghost or worried about what was to come next, but the past few weeks had been peaceful.

Jazz was the last one to arrive, she'd gotten held up at work. But with her she had a small bag filled with all the essentials. They all gathered up their bags and shuffled towards the front door. Jazz had managed to convince Maddie and Jack to go out and take a break from work which left FentonWorks unoccupied. They all clamored into Jazz's car and sped off. They all boarded the Specter Speeder. The plan was that everyone was going to be only spending one night at Pariah's Keep, Danny didn't want to chance them overstaying their welcome. The Fenton's wouldn't even notice anything amiss. Not their daughter's car parked on the road or the missing Speeder, they were always too focused on other things.

Danny drove making the trip to the Keep a quick one. When they arrived Danny almost let out a sigh of relief. Somehow without noticing Danny had grown comfortable here, and having his friends here only made the feeling grow. Danielle was the first to greet them running out of the castle with little regard for the towering King who strode calmly behind her.

"Danny! I haven't seen you in forever! How'd you get such a fancy house? Looking for money I suppose?" She gave him a small nudge with her elbow and wiggled her eyebrows at him.

"Totally, can't you tell I'm here to steal all the money." Danny beamed. He'd missed Dani, she had his same quick wit and dark humor. If anyone understood him it was the girl standing before him. Dani had moved on to greeting everyone else. Pariah stood pleasantly off to the side allowing them all to say their hellos.

Danny stepped to the side as well, "Thank you. It means a lot to me having them here." Pariah didn't respond but Danny knew he was heard. Instead Pariah addressed them all, "Welcome friends and family of Danny Phantom. We welcome you to our home."

Danny shifted uncomfortably, he only glossed over the marriage part especially since he hadn't formally agreed to the marriage yet, but Pariah had made it seem as though they were already married. To ward off any comments that way have come forward Danny ushered everyone inside, hoping they'd all push it to the back of their minds for the time being. He wasn't ready for that conversation just yet.

The servants all took their bags to rooms near Danny's and ushered them all to the dining room for lunch. Pariah strode calmly about his castle, but Danny could tell there that he was slightly uncomfortable. He saw the tension in his shoulders that didn't relax, and the thin line his mouth was set into.

Food was served promptly, the table lined with towers of food. There wasn't a single plate empty, and for once the conversation was lively. Pariah watched the whole thing with something akin to contentment. Never had he seen this side of Danny, and it only added to the enigma that'd made Pariah curious in the first place.

Finally, plates were cleared away and the conversation was dying. Dani had told them stories of her adventures. Jazz, Tucker and Sam completely enthralled, but Danny's eyes flicked from person to person. He'd missed this, having a moment of pure happiness. Nothing to do with ghosts or ghost hunters, just him and his family with nothing to break the peaceful moment.

Pariah had sat quietly through the meal, only nodding every so often to show he was listening. He was the first person to excuse himself from the table, wishing them all a pleasant stay before disappearing into his own wing.

Although Danny was tempted to follow him. Sam started speaking before he could dart off.

"So, Danny, 'our house', huh?" Sam of course was the one who brought it up. He shouldn't have expected her to forget so easily.

Danny gave a noncommittal shrug. He didn't really have an answer for them yet. It'd only been a few weeks since Danny had begun speaking with Pariah. They hadn't even discussed anything more that surface level of politics. Pariah had shared some knowledge about ruling, but they hadn't discussed Danny's rule in all of this.

Danielle was quick to derail that topic, she'd only seen small sides of Pariah but she could tell there was more to it that Danny was willing to say at the moment. "Come on guys! Who cares about Danny's boring love life! We have an entire castle to explore! I'm pretty sure I saw green house out back and I found the library too."

Bless Danielle and her quick thinking, she that them all up and out of the room in a few breathes. With a quick wink to her cousin, he was left alone listening to their chatter fade away.

Danny got up and wondered in the opposite direction that his friends had gone. He stopped a passing servant, apologizing for bothering them, but asking where Pariah had gone. The servant was more than happy to show him to the library entrance the same one he'd fallen asleep in last time.

He gave a soft knock and opened the door, "Pariah? Can I join you for a moment?" Without looking up Pariah waved his hand towards a plush chair nearby. He was so focused on whatever book was in front of him that he didn't even truly acknowledge Danny, until the halfa cleared his throat politely.

"My apologies, I was preoccupied." Danny strode over and glanced at the papers, most of them detailing the current status of the Ghost Zone. He'd caught things like population statistics, and the whereabouts of powerful ghosts. He did notice that one such ghost was missing.

"Do you not keep track of Clockwork?"

"The Master of Time? No, his is elusive and often doesn't share his whereabouts with anyone." Pariah raised a curious eyebrow, he hadn't though Danny was versed in many of the old ghosts that never left their own realms. "You have knowledge of such an old ghost, who has been teaching you?"

"Well Clockwork, I'm his ward after all." Danny gave a simple shrug and plopped down in a nearby chair." I won't tell you where his lair is, one because most of the time I can barely find it, and two if he wants to remain off the grid then all the better for him."

"I see, I'd heard rumor that you were connected with such powerful ghosts, but I had no confirmation."

Danny gave a sheepish shrug, "I guess I never think about it; they're my friends first." Danny straightened up and cleared his throat, "Oh, but the reason I came I wanted to thank you again for housing us. Danielle and I will the staying the weekend, but the others will be returning home tomorrow after dinner."

"Then I shall plan for an early dinner so they can leave before it gets too late in your world." Pariah moved to return to his papers but stopped as Danny made no move to leave. "Is there something else you wanted to speak about?"

"Actually… yeah. I've been here several weeks now, and you haven't killed me and you've let me bring humans here." Danny did his best to ignore the slight glare he was given at the insinuation of such actions but he continued speaking, "I believe you have changed, I want to see more change from you, but I realized I haven't been helping you change. You asked for my hand to join you in ruling, and I can't say I'm ready to agree to that, however I want to know more about the ways I can help, the politics and policies you'd like to begin with implementing."

Pariah felt a warm smile growing on his face. He was learning more form the young halfa than they knew, patience, forgiveness, and tolerance were only a few of the things he'd witnessed when observing Danny and he'd tried to mirror those same qualities. "I agree, tomorrow I will be meeting with Pandora to discuss some details of the Ghost Zone. Your foster mother has been very gracious in helping me to acquire information and helping to advise on small matters. You are free to join us."

Danny beamed at the mention of Pandora, and the feeling of warmth that had been growing ever so slowly flared even more, a family, he'd forgotten that he had a family here; a mother, cousins, siblings, and friends. They all rallied behind him, many of his former enemies had even returned to the ghost zone once he'd told them that Pariah had no intentions of attacking. People took his words at face value and trusted him. "Alright then I'll join you tomorrow, I'm sure everyone else would be content to wander around for a bit without me."

"Then go enjoy your evening and tomorrow we shall begin learning together."

Danny beamed as he left, maybe things weren't as bad as they first seemed.


End file.
